Severe Dog guilt?

Question

My 2 y/o Border collie has always been a little anxious, mainly when we had him on the leash he would be restless, but otherwise we had no problems with him, he was very friendly to humans and other animals.
 Shortly after we moved 9 months ago he escaped from the back yard, I was devastated and tried absolutely everything to find him, I found him 2 weeks later malnourished with a broken back.
 We spent a lot of time & money to fix him and now he is fine & walking on all fours again, however, he seems much more anxious as he keeps finding new ways to escape from the yard. 
We now keep him in a bricked sun room and he still manages to get out of places we didn’t think were possible for him to fit through. We think we have it all sealed now but I feel so guilty and live in fear of him escaping again.
 Although he is still very well-mannered and polite to people, he has lost tolerance for other dogs and tries to attack them, he squeals and howls when we leave for work. I just don’t know what to do, I love him, he is like my baby & I hate leaving him, but I also feel like I don’t have much of a life anymore. 
Can anyone advise me how to deal with this constant fear and guilt?

catkeypurr · Accepted Answer

Does he live indoors or out? 
Why is he staying in a room that he can escape from rather than being kenneled?
Is he neutered? If not, that needs done like a year & a half ago. Get on it!
Have you spoken with a behaviorist? Don't use a trainer for this issue. You need a person with a degree in animal behavior.
Are you doing all you can do to make the time he needs to be alone as pleasant as possible like making sure the area is not too hot or cold, keeping the area dim & playing soft music?
Have you spoken with your vet? Your dog may be a good candidate for Prozac.
Have you tried any homeopathic remedies? A calming collar?
http://www.amazon.com/Nurturecalm-Canine-Calming-Pheromone-Collar/dp/B00460UB9U/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1409633566&sr=8-5&keywords=dog+calming+collar
Are you aware that any anxiety you may have is affecting him? If you have your own anxiety issues it's time to talk to your doctor, too.

Susan · Answer

Try placing a wet cool cloth on her, this will help sooth her inflamed skin. I'd also suggest bathing her again but with no products this time, just to make sure any residual product form the last bath is completely gone. Then get her into to the vet tomorrow asap! Have you had an allergy test done on her? I would definitely consider getting one done to figure out what exactly she is reacting to. There are different Hypo foods, discuss the results of the last one with your vet so they can recommend a different kind/brand with alternative proteins and carbs. Maybe even ask about doing a home cooked diet for now, limited, controlled ingredients until you can get to the bottom of this. God Luck!

***** · Answer

What is his daily routine as far as exercise and mental stimulation? Quite apart from the trauma he experienced, border collies can become extremely neurotic, anxious, and display a variety of behavioral problems if they aren't provided appropriate outlets for their energy levels and intelligence. I'd suggest that perhaps increasing his exercise and training him for a dog sport (or multiple) might help alleviate many of the difficulties you're having with him.

Marianne · Answer

Your dog needs far more help than you can get here.   You need to contact a good behaviorist and let him/her work with your dog and show you how to help it.   The dog sounds terribly frightened and that is a hard thing for a normal dog owner to fix without making it worse.
Please get some professional help for this poor dog.   Shutting it up isn't helping.    He needs confidence training that I'm sure you don't know how to give.

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Severe Dog guilt?

4 Answers